This post is only 2 months late, oops! I thought that I posted it back on New Years!

Even though we have an extremely hectic life we still have found some time to squeeze in some fun this holiday season. It’s not always ideal and there may be fights, kicking, hitting and throwing of iPads (note… by the kids not me LOL).

I am so thankful that we had Owen, for a variety of reason. One of the perks of having another boy is that we were able to experience the live experience of Thomas the Tank Engine. I really did miss going to Strasburg, PA to see Thomas. It’s always a wonderful day, we have been there so many times and each time has been a great experience for the boys. This year was Owen’s first time. He loved it. And the older boys had an awesome time as well. I think that they forgot how much that they really enjoyed riding the train, and the gift shop. Of course, they loved the gift shop. The kids haven’t played with the trains since they discovered the iPad but this year they HAD to buy stuff. Of course, we gave in.

We also had a great day picking out our tree. The first few years we used an artificial tree but I really wanted the tradition of going to a tree farm and chopping down a tree. I love it. Joey may disagree since he has to do the dirty work.

After decorating the house for Christmas, we had a wonderful night celebrating with Ben and the second grade class during their Snowflake Spectacular. They did an awesome job singing holiday songs!

One night, my friend Wendi and I took the kids over to Shadybrook Farms in PA to see their awesome Christmas lights display! Considering that we have 5 WILD and CRAZY kids in the car they did behave pretty well. Wendi and I came prepared. She brought presents and treats and I had a scavenger hunt for light displays. It was an awesome night.

In the midst of it all I had my 20th High School Reunion. The St. Mark’s Class off 1995 ROCKS! An awesome night with great friends! It really was a wonderful night.

Finally, on the 24th we had time to go and visit with the best Santa Claus in the world. He is so sweet and kind and caring. We have been to him every year for the past 7 years (even though I have a year or two without pictures)

The kids had a wonderful Christmas. We got to spend time with our families and it was great. Despite some minor fights, they did have a great holiday. I just love seeing the smiles on their faces on Christmas morning. Worth all of the stress and hassle.

New Year’s Eve

The only one who could hang with me until midnight!!!!

I hope that everyone had a nice and safe Christmas and New Years {and now a happy Groundhogs Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and all of the other holidays that have passed since I originally typed out this email}!

Oh and Ben also celebrated his 8th Birthday recently… I will try and get a post up about that one shortly {hopefully before we hit Memorial Day}. I also have some posts coming on our blizzard, Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby Day, and a few other small ones coming soon. So keep on reading and check in often. I am trying to get all caught up!

Hey everyone! I thought I would share another giveaway with you all. Paulina from Discovering Simply Me is having a birthday and thought it was the perfect time for a giveaway! You can win some awesome ad space from some great bloggers, a Chloe + Isabel bracelet as well as a beauty package! Check it out today!

Check out the details from Paulina below!

Since I am turing the ever so gracious 23. I have decided to share the love with you guys and do a group giveaway with some awesome prizes.

So, I totally forgot that today was Tuesday and I didn’t weigh myself first thing this morning. So I will give a real update tomorrow but I am eating white cheddar cheesy puffs as I type this so that should tell you how my week has gone! Plus I hit up Victory Brewing Company yesterday and I had the most delicious cheeseburger, fries and a 5 sampler of beers (IPAs of course).

So I can guarantee you tomorrow’s Weight Watchers update is going to be a real doozy. I need a swift kick in the rear end to get myself back in gear!!!!!

A few weeks ago after an ad space give-away I started chatting with another blogger, Paulina Dombrowski from discoveringsimplyme.blogspot.com. After a few Facebook/email exchanges we realized that not only do we both live in New Jersey but we only live a few miles from one another. In the blogger world this is a rare thing. Normally, any new followers that I get are from other states and they have discovered me on other mommy blogs, blog hops or on Top Mommy Blogs (you know that little icon on the left that I beg for you to vote for me on every night). So it was nice to finally meet someone local. After a few discussions I found out that she was a Merchandiser for Chloe + Isabel – a Jewelry Company. I did a little research and we both thought that it would be great to pair up for a product review and give-away Right away we clicked and I knew it was going to be a fun post!

Well the piece of jewelry that she picked for me to review arrived yesterday and let me tell you I was pretty darn impressed. Well the post office damaged the box but once I opened it up I was shocked. The branding of the packaging and the jewelry bag were very impressive! Branding is everything when you are trying to sell something so right away I was thrilled. Just look at how cute (sorry for the iphone pics).

I didn’t even open up the bag yet to check out the bracelet but I already knew it was going to be beautiful. And it was.

The bracelet is called the Eclectic Rhinestone + Box Chain Bracelet and retails for $34. Here is a much better picture from their website. Let’s face it, I am a terrible photographer! But I want you too see that it’s just as pretty in person as it is on their website.

The colors are gorgeous and the clasp was so simple to hook. I need something that I can put on by myself without the help of the hubby and this was easy. Oh and if your wrist is a little smaller or larger than the average, you will notice that there are two clasps to hook this into. So you can adjust the size without taking it to get re-sized or have it slide up and down your arm all night. I thought that this was a great feature!

I am not a big jewelry person, only because the kids always pull and break my necklaces or bracelets, but I really enjoyed looking at her website and found a few things that I might have to break down and buy!

Chloe + Isabel just released their latest product line, The Duchess, on Tuesday and it’s been a pretty big hit so far. I am off to check out the new pieces and to see what they have from running right now in their sale. There are over 20 pieces that are 50% off (see that clover ring below – it’s on sale right now for $22). You can’t beat that – even the full prices are so reasonable!

Just take a look at these rings! How gorgeous are they?

Here’s some more information about Chloe + Isabel from Paulina herself:

Move over Lia Sophia, you have new competition and they are making strides in the fashion world. Both the celebrities and the press love them. Chloe + Isabel are best friends “Chloe” is always in search of the seasons hottest trends while “Isabel” appreciates timeless, beautifully crafted pieces. These personas come come together in everyday like so why not in a jewelry collection that can be able to meet any woman of any ages style. With that in mind they strive to stay above their competition by having everything piece hand-crafted, nickel-free, hypo-allergenic and lead safe. Not only that, but all their earrings have surgical steel posts and all necklaces have two-inch extensors so you can always change up your length depending on your outfit. But it gets better they have a lifetime guarantee and a 30-day back guarantee and unlike Lia Sophia shipping an item back to them is paid for up to 90 days. Fall in love with their collection today at one of their merchandiser sites www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/paulinadombrowski or email her at paulski166@verizon.net about any questions

Oh, and just as an FYI, you will be hearing more from Paulina shortly. She has a few other things up her sleeves that she is dying to share with us! There might be a Chloe + Isabel bracelet giveaway coming up in a few days.

*** Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review. I was given a piece of jewelry to review but I was not paid for the post or comments. My views of the product are mine and mine alone!